Electric switch



April 20, 1937- R. K. WINNING 2,077,503

ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Sept. l2, 1934 Mora/@#59756 @M M6@ md5/( ATTORNEYS Patented pr. 2Q, i955? UNITED SA'ln ELECTRIC SVETCH Robert K. Winning, ilianwatosm Wis., assigner to Clum Manufacturing Company,

Milwaukee,

i3 Claims.

This invention relates te improvements in electric switches.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide a new and improved inexpensive and eicient electric switch, preferably organized upon a. sector of a circle, and having a number of control stations in compact form, the moving contactor being resiliently effective to transmit current between contacts on opposed faces of the switch without danger of annealing the spring means whereby the contact pressure is provided.

It is a further object to provide a novel contactor and method for the manufacture thereof, which method consists in bending, aligning, and embossing the contact portions by cooperating dies simultaneously acting upon a suitable stamp.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a cross sectional View of a motor housing showing in side elevation my switch as it appears installed.

Figure 2 is a cross section taken centrally through the switch casing in the plane oi the contactor movement, and illustrating the parts' on an enlarged scalo as compared with Figure l.

Figure 3 is a view of the device in cross section taken on the line of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a developed View of device on the arcuate cross section indicated at Q-l in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a View similar to Figure 4, showing a modified embodiment or" my invention.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

The motor casing lil shown in Figure l has a suitable slotted opening i2 through which projects the stem I3 of the contact carrier later to be described. The switch is secured to the motor housing by any suitable mean such as bolts Il. The shape of the switch assembly permits it to be incorpora-ted in the very limited annular space available in the motor housing between the armature shaft or commutatcr and the outside of the housing.v

The switch casing comprises an outer arcuate Wall portion i6 and an inner arcuate wall pcrtion l'l. These may be metallic stampings connected by radial end walls i8 integral with the inner arcuate wall Il and flanged outwardly at their ends to be held by the tubular rivets il to the outer wall it. In the metallic frame thus constituted the dielectric terminal heads and motivating parts about to be described are conveniently mounted.

(Gl. 2Min-6) The walls iii, ll, and i3 have parallel grooves Eil and iii' along their outer edges. Wall l1 further provided with a central annular groove at 22 opposite to which the wall IG has a registry slot.

The arcuate terminal heads 2Q may conveniently be made of ber or other conventional dielectric material. They are held in parallel planes by engagement in the coresponding grooves is and l of the wall members i6 and it', thereby completing an enclosure within which the operating parts are mounted.

A number of pairs of stationary contacts 25 are suitably mounted opposite to each other in the terminal heads 2d. The contacts 25 in one ci the terminal heads 2B may be connected to serve as supply contacts, as shown diagrammatically in Figure fi. rihe contacts in the other terminal head constitute terminals from which current is selectively withdrawn subject tothe control of the switch.

The contact carier l5 comprises an arcuately formed dielectric member having inner and outer curved surfaces concentric to each other and to walls i@ and ll of the switch casing. l"She carrier may be provided integrally with a radial extension i3 serving as a handle. This extension is guided in the slot 2.3 in the outer wall l5, the inner margin of the contact carrier being conned in the groove 22 of the casing wall il.

The contacter com rises a metallic strip U- shaped in plan and arcuate in elevation, as is clearly shown Figures 2 and fl. It is provided at its ends with embossed contacts 36 which also serve as seats for a compressing spring 32 which extends through an aperture 3d in the Contact carrier and presses the contacts il@ equally in opposite directions into engagement with the stationary contacts with which the embossed moving contacts register at any given station. That portion of the contact strip 35 which is bent upon itself is extended about one end of the contact carrier i5 and is secured to the carrier adjacent that end by means of a rivet .31. This connection of the strip to the contact carrier leaves the embossed ends oi the strip free to move on and ride over the contacts of pairs successively engaged in its several positions. v

The contacts or the end pair or pairs oi the series are preferably left free of electrical con nections to indicate the off position of the switch.

in the construction shown in Figure 4 the embossed portions 36 of the moving contacter are socketed to receive the heads of the rivets 25 which comprise stationary contacts. This gives an impositive indication of each operative position of the contacter. The spring 32 is maintained under increased compression between stations, since the distance between the fixed contacts 25 is insufficient to allow the moving contactor to expand between stations.

In the construction shown in Figure 5 the embossed heads 36 of the moving contacter are differently formed and are adapted to seat between terminals. Thus, in every operative position of this device the moving contactor engages two consecutive sets of terminals concurrently. Therefore, there are two sets of dead terminals in this construction and only two operative positions, as compared with the three opera-tive positions achieved with the same number of terminals in the Figure 4 construction. However, the Figure 5 construction enables two devices to be operated concurrently when desired. In the first operative position of the moving contactor a motor will be energized, and in the second operative position both the motor and the heater will be energized.

To exclude foreign matter and ensure the smooth operation of the moving contact carrier, it is preferred to interpose an arcuate plate or sheet of fiber or the like at 33 between the top margin of the movable contact carrier I5 and the upper wall I6 of the switch casing.

As shown in Figure 2, the dieletric strip 33 has sufficient length to close slot 23 in all positions of the handle I3. The opening in the plate 33 is just sufficiently wide to guide handle I3 which projects therethrough for the operation of the movable contact carrier and said plate.

A like strip may be used at 34 (Figures 2-5) as a support for the moving contact carrier I5 to assist it in smooth movement on wall Il. The guiding flange I4 of the carrier projects through strip 34 into channel 22.

The moving contactor 35 has suflicient cross section to carry with ease the entire current flow between its embossed contact heads 36. This protects the compression spring 32 from becoming annealed, as would be the case if it had to carry the current load from one face of the switch to the other. In order that the embossed heads 3B may be perfectly aligned, the embossing is preferably done after the contactor has been stamped and bent to the approximate form shown. By embossing the two heads concurrently in a single die set after the bending operation has been completed, the alignment of the contact heads is assured.

One advantage of the switch. construction herein disclosed lies in its adaptability to unusual designs and to switches usable in close quarters.

Another advantage consists in its great smoothness of operation and its long life. The movement of the fiber contact carrier in the slotted and channeled guides provided therefor is very smooth, and the compression spring 32 is freely floated between the contact heads 3S to contribute to the smooth action of the switch.

Another advantage consists in the low cost of manufacture. The parts are simple, and the assembly is facilitated by the design wherein the stationary contact carriers are engaged in channels of the metallic frame.

I claim:

l. A switch comprising spaced frame members correspondingly channeled, means connecting said frame members, terminal heads in the form of plates engaged in the channels of the respective members, contact means carried by said heads, and a moving contacter movable between said heads and provided with contact means for closing a circuit between the contact means of the respective heads.

2. In a switch, a casing comprising arcuate wall members having correspondingly spaced channels, means connecting said wall members in radially spaced relation, and at least one dielectric arcuate terminal head having its arcuate side portions fixed in the channels of the respective wall members to be positioned thereby independently of fastening means applied directly thereto.

3. A switch comprising a wall member provided adjacent its margins with grooves and longitudinally slotted intermediate said Agrooves, a

heads engaged in the grooves of the wall memf' bers, a contact carrier having portions engaged in the central channel of said last mentioned wall member and the slot of the rst mentioned wall member, a handle connected with said car- 4 rier, and contact means carried respectively by said carrier and one of said heads and registerable in the longitudinal movement of the carrier.

4. A switch comprising a pair of marginally channeled wall members, one of said members also having a central channel, means eonchanneled wall members, one of said members also having a central channel, means connecting said wall members in spaced relation, a contact carrier comprising a plate reciprocable between said wall members and engaged in said central channel to receive guidance therefrom, terminal heads engaged in the marginal channels of the respective wall members, contact means carried by said heads in corresponding positions, and a movable contacter including integrally connected spring arms at opposite sides of said plate and mounted thereon.

6. A switch comprising a pair of marginally channeled wall members, one of said members also having a central channel, means connecting said wall members in spaced relation, a contact carrier comprising a plate reciprocable between said wall members and engaged in said central channel to receive guidance therefrom, terminal heads engaged in the marginal channels of the respective wall members, contact means carried by said heads in corresponding positions, and a movable contactor including integrally connected spring arms at opposite sides of said plate and mounted thereon, said arms having contacts at their free ends and provided with a compression spring interposed between said arms to urge said contacts toward the contacts of the respective heads.

'7. A switch comprising the combination with a pair of substantially concentric arcuate plates marginally channeled, one of said plates having a peripherally extending central slot and the other a corresponding channel, of means integral with one of said plates extending radially to the other and provided with means Io-r the spaced connection of said plates, arcuate terminal heads engaged in the complementary channels of the respective plates, contacts carried in sets by said heads, a contact carrier of arcuate form having an integral handle projecting through said slot and having guide means engaged in the opposing channel, and a contactor mounted on said carrier and having opposed contact portions yieldably biased toward the contacts of the respective sets for engagement therewith.

8. A switch comprising a casing having correspondingly channeled walls uniformly spaced throughout their intermediate portions, the ends of one of said Walls being extended to the other of said walls, means connecting said ends with the other of said walls to provide a frame having sides and ends, together with dielectric terminal heads engaged substantially throughout their peripheries in the opposed channels oi said walls in said frame and thereby connected with said walls to be maintained in spaced relation.

9. A switch adaptable for mounting in a motor casing or the like, said switch comprising an arcuate frame having substantially concentric marginally channeled inner and outer members, means integral with one of said members eX- tending to the other and formed peripherally outwardly, tubular rivets connecting said members and comprising means for mounting said frame, terminal heads in the corresponding channels of said members and provided with relatively xed contacts, a Contact carrier arcuately movable in said frame, said members being provided with means for the guidance thereof, and movable contacts mounted on said carrier for registry with the contacts of said heads.

10. In a switch, the combination with a longitudinally channeled frame, of terminal heads carried by said frame at opposite sides of said channel and provided with terminal contacts, a contact carrier slidably guided in the channel of said frame intermediate said heads, and contact means on said carrier engageable with opposed terminal contacts of said head.

11. In a switch, the combination with arcuately formed radially spaced frame members, one of which is arcuately channeled and the other provided with a corresponding slot, of terminal heads mounted between said frame members in spaced relation at opposite sides of said channel and slot, terminal contacts mounted on said heads in correlated pairs, a contact carrier slidable in the channel and having a portion projecting through the slot, whereby to be guided for manipulation by said portion to move lengthwise of said channel and slot between said terminal heads, and contact means mounted on said carrier and resiliently biased for the yieldable pressure upon said heads for engagement with the Contact pairs thereof.

12. In a switch, the combination with paired series of mutually spaced terminal contacts djsposed along an arcuate path in spaced relation at opposite sides thereof, of an arcuate Contact carrier movable upon said path, opposed means engaging opposite margins of the carrier for guiding said contact carrier for movement between the terminal contacts, and a conductor comprising a strip bent upon itself about a portion of said carrier and connected to said portion for movement with said carrier, the ends of said strip being free and provided with contact elements and biased for opposite movement toward opposing contacts of the respective pairs.

13. In a switch, the combination with spaced terminal heads and opposed series of contact terminals carried thereby, of a frame carrying said terminal heads and providing a longitudinal guideway therebetween, a contact carrier slidable between said heads along said guideway, a contact strip folded about a portion of said carrier and secured to said portion with its free ends biased toward said terminal heads in opposition to each other, and Contact elements at said free ends engageable with the terminal contacts of said heads, said elements and terminal contacts being respectively concave and convex for yieldable impositive engagement to x the operative positions of said carrier.

ROBERT K. WINNING. 

